The Dutch Payments Association has completed the Debit Card Acceptance (DCA) project enabling Dutch cardholders and foreign visitors to pay with Visa Debit payment cards. As detailed in the announcement, in almost half of the shops in the Netherlands, paying with Visa Debit was not yet possible.

Following the completion of the project, which aimed to adapt or replace most payment terminals in the region so that they are suitable for the new debit cards, Visa Debit is now widely accepted in the Netherlands. Visa officials advised that throughout the course of a year, 425,000 payment terminals have been successfully updated and stated that Dutch retailers are now enabled the acceptance of digital payments with one of the 2. 8 billion Visa Debit cards issued worldwide.

Visa Debit acceptance and what it entails for Dutch consumers A global payment product, Visa Debit aims to meet both current and future payments needs, allowing consumers to pay in a secure manner in shops, and online, via mobile, contactless, and in apps in the Netherlands, Europe, and beyond. Furthermore, all payments are secure, and cardholders have the option of making purchases at over 100 million merchants worldwide that accept Visa. As opposed to a credit card, Visa Debit is linked directly to the current account, which is believed to make it ‘ideal’ for day-to-day expenses.

As every payment is deducted from the account in an immediate manner, Visa Debit cardholders are provided with complete control over costs and a clear overview of their expenses. Furthermore, consumers can be immediately notified of any transaction via a push message on their smartphone. Fintech Finance News advised in the announcement that these benefits are responsive towards Dutch consumers’ needs, as Visa has carried out a research that highlights that nine out of ten Dutch people find it important to have an overview of their daily expenses, and 75% have a preference for money to be debited directly from their account when making a purchase.

Following the successful DCA project, almost all existing payments terminals have been updated via a software update, and entrepreneurs have received a message regarding this from their terminal supplier, and if not, are set to receive it shortly. A limited number of retailers with outdated POS terminals whose software could no longer be updated have replaced them or will do so in the time to come. When it comes to cardholders, they will keep on paying as they are used to with their existing payments cards and will not notice any changes when at checkout.

Visa technology of the likes of the Visa Token Service offers an additional security layer so as to enable secure digital payment via smartphones, wearables, and the web. Due to the ‘Zero Liability’ protection, Visa cardholders are not liable for unauthorised payments, as per the terms and conditions of the issuing bank, and the protection is applicable to all Visa transactions, be those in-store, online, or at an ATM. Rabobank, alongside other Dutch banks is expected to soon start Visa Debit issuance, and customers are set to receive their Visa Debit card automatically and will not be required to take any action.

Following the Visa Debit acceptance throughout the region, cardholders are provided with full flexibility to pay via multiple channels, thus making payments easier for Dutch consumers and the country more welcoming for foreign visitors. .